Abusing his office for improper intentions!

At the sound of Ling Yuan's oriole-sweet voice, Qian Juechen looked up from his paperwork and turned his gaze to her.

He was wrestling with how to tell her what he wanted.

He could hardly come straight out and say he thought she was beautiful, so he wanted to transfer her to his side and get to know her on a more intimate level.

That would have been far too abrupt.

Qian Juechen watched Ling Yuan's sparkling eyes as she kept blinking.

She seemed a little nervous, her slender brows shifting slightly as though she were waiting for his instructions.

An idea stirred in Qian Juechen's mind, quickly taking shape.

"I wouldn't quite call it a special assignment."

Qian Juechen set his work aside and spoke casually.

"I heard you spent some time working in the Administrative Hall, Ling Yuan, and that you have considerable experience handling the administrative matters submitted by the various regions?"

Ling Yuan paused, clearly not expecting him to bring this up all of a sudden.

Still, she nodded truthfully.

"That's right. I did spend quite a long time in the Administrative Hall in my earlier years."

Qian Juechen smiled at her answer.

"Good."

"I've only just taken over as Pope, and I'm not yet familiar with handling Spirit Hall's affairs across the regions."

"There's also simply too much paperwork sent to the Papal Palace for me to handle every day. Working alone, I'm afraid I won't be able to give everything proper attention anytime soon."

Qian Juechen was speaking the truth. He had not brought this up merely as an excuse to keep Ling Yuan by his side.

Spirit Hall's influence extended across the entire continent, with an enormous number of branch halls within the Two Great Empires, Heaven Dou and the Star Luo Empire.

Every year, there were martial soul awakenings for children of the appropriate age, Soul Master registration, the selection and training of talented Soul Masters, the distribution of Soul Master subsidies across the regions, and personnel transfers between local branch halls...

All those tedious duties piled together were enough to give anyone a headache.

That was without even considering Spirit Hall's vast intelligence network or its dealings with the Two Great Empires and the various major sects and clans.

If the Pope had to personally review every matter, there would probably be no time for anything else. Reading and approving documents alone would consume the entire day.

Even that might not be enough time.

For that reason, a department dedicated to screening administrative matters had long since been established under the Papal Palace.

Documents submitted by local branch halls first passed through the Administrative Hall. Routine matters could be handled directly according to established procedures.

Only matters involving major interests, appointments and dismissals, or issues beyond a local branch hall's authority were passed up through the ranks until they finally reached the Pope.

Of course, when the Pope could not be bothered with paperwork, a trusted elder or secretary would sometimes handle it instead.

Anyone entrusted with those duties was unquestionably one of the Pope's confidants.

And it meant more than simply being able to share the Pope's workload.

It also meant she would gain access to Spirit Hall's most closely guarded secrets at the highest levels.

On certain matters, she would even have the authority to make temporary decisions on the Pope's behalf.

It was, in itself, an extraordinary mark of favor and a demonstration of status.

So Qian Juechen used that as his opening, gradually revealing his thoughts and plans to Ling Yuan.

He looked at the beautiful woman before him, his tone growing a little more serious.

"So I'd like you to come help me handle some of the Papal Palace's administrative work. What do you think?"

Sure enough, the moment Ling Yuan heard that Qian Juechen wanted her help with administrative affairs, her beautiful eyes lit up.

She had assumed he had asked her to stay because he had another important assignment for her.

After all, everyone in Spirit Hall had been run ragged preparing for the enthronement ceremony lately.

She had never expected him to keep her behind to ask her to assist with his administrative duties.

Naturally, she understood what that meant.

Although she was one of the more senior elders of the Elder Hall, there were still enormous differences in standing among the elders.

The years during which Bibi Dong had ruled Spirit Hall were a perfect example.

Ling Yuan had never done anything against Spirit Hall's interests, and she had always carried out the assignments from her superiors conscientiously.

Yet despite that, she had never been entrusted with an important role.

Now the new Pope had only just taken office, and out of all the senior figures in the Elder Hall and the many bishops below it, he had chosen her.

At the very least, that meant he held her abilities in high regard.

After all, this Pope had not returned for so many years that the vast majority of Spirit Hall's members had never spoken to him or had any contact with him before.

When it came to personal ties, none of them had any.

That left only her stance within Spirit Hall and her abilities as the reasons he valued her.

At that thought, Ling Yuan could not help feeling a little excited.

She had even begun imagining how, if she performed this assignment well, her standing within Spirit Hall would surely rise another step.

Qian Juechen had inherited his father's legacy and obtained so many top-grade Soul Bones from Bibi Dong.

Ling Yuan had naturally heard something of this.

If I do a good job, or earn his trust, perhaps the Pope will reward me with a good-quality Soul Bone someday.

With a Soul Bone like that, I might finally break through the bottleneck that has held me back for so many years. I could go even further and try to reach that elusive level of an enshrined elder.

As those thoughts crossed her mind, Ling Yuan's attitude toward Qian Juechen naturally shifted, becoming even more respectful.

She bowed slightly to him, her voice clear and pleasing.

"If Your Holiness is willing to trust me, I would gladly share your burdens."

"Whatever Your Holiness commands, I will spare no effort to accomplish it. Whatever Your Holiness requests, I will do everything I can to satisfy it, for that is my duty and obligation."

Hearing such obedient, submissive words from the stunning mature beauty before him filled Qian Juechen with satisfaction and pleasure.

This woman really is more agreeable than I imagined.

He had originally thought that, given Ling Yuan's cold, aloof personality, getting her transferred to his side would take at least some persuasion.

He had never expected her to agree so readily after he offered nothing more than the excuse of helping with paperwork.

It seemed all the other arguments he had prepared would be entirely unnecessary.

Despite his delight, Qian Juechen showed nothing unusual, determined to preserve his dignity as Pope.

When he saw Ling Yuan bow, he immediately rose, walked over to her, and placed both hands on her rosy-white shoulders to straighten her.

Feeling the soft smoothness beneath his hands, Qian Juechen kept his expression composed. "There's no need for such formality between us."

"My decision to choose you wasn't a passing whim, either. I've reviewed the records of the Elder Hall's elders over the past few days. Compared to the others, your record is clean enough, and you've always been dependable in your work. At least in my eyes, you're someone I can trust."

Ling Yuan felt the large, hot hands resting on her shoulders.

It had been so many years since a man had touched her like this. His youthful, burning presence kept stirring her restless heart.

She pressed her legs together slightly, and the words Qian Juechen had just spoken sent a further surge of warmth through her.

Someone I can trust. How lovely those words sounded.

And coming from Qian Juechen, who had only just assumed the Pope's Position, they carried considerable weight.